People commonly decorate houses, buildings and other structures with strands of lights, particularly during the Holidays. Many methods and apparatus have been used to secure light strings to structures. One commonly-used method is to attach a string of lights using a plastic clips with tabs that slip under shingles on a roof. However, this method is unacceptable for installation on structures which do not have roof shingles or where the shingles are glued to the roof surface. In particular, this solution does not work with metal roofs or roofs with edge flashing.
Other solutions have been proposed which use magnets. One such solution is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,779, issued to Genenbacher. Genenbacher discloses light sockets with built-in magnets for attaching the sockets to metal surfaces. However, the Genenbacher fixture requires purchase of light strands pre-configured with magnetic bases and cannot be used with third-party light strands. Further, the Genenbacher fixture only facilitates orientation of light bulbs in a single direction with respect to the metal surface. Another solution using magnets is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0185370 (“Moore”). However, the Moore clip also fails to allow users to select a bulb orientation. Further, the Moore clip is not particularly compact or sturdy. Another solution is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0138293 (“Clement”). However, the Clement clip does not provide any mechanism for bulb orientation and it is also not sufficiently compact or sturdy.
What is needed is a light mounting solution capable of attaching to a variety of metal surfaces and which can be used with an existing string of lights. Preferably, the solution should allow the user to select between two or more mounting orientations. The solution is preferably of simple construction and is both compact and sturdy.